Archive for October, 2009
Happy Halloween from Community Cinema & Independent Lens
Spooky Indie Films to Watch this Halloween! There are many reasons to love Halloween: free candy, pumpkin carving and maybe best of all––scary movies. Check out some of our favorite spooky video shorts below.
PIN POINT (TRT 3:43)
When an evil orphanage caretaker tries to poison the children, a little girl takes matters into her own hands…
THE FURNITURE (TRT: 2:23)
Short, sweet, dark and funny––when confronted by the demons of loneliness, are you really alone.
LA FE’E ROUGE (TRT: 6:14)
Audience Award
This fantasy short peers into the world of doll remakes. You’ll never look at Barbie the same way again.
DRY CLEAN ONLY (TRT: 6:26)
When a couple shows up at a dry cleaners in bloody clothes, the clerk recalls one of the first rules of the trade–don’t ask questions.
Have a spooky and safe Halloweekend and join Community Cinema on Monday at the San Diego Public Library for the first of many free preview screening events of BETWEEN THE FOLDS. Many events throughout November will feature live paperfolding demonstrations!
COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS Demystifies Sampling from its Roots in Early Hip-Hop to Modern Day Video Mash-ups
Kembrew McLeod, co-producer of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, answers questions from the audience with Tony Berman of Berman Entertainment and Technology Law, who is featured in the film.
From our first event at the Saratoga Springs Public Library in Saratoga Springs, New York on October 3 to our last two events on October 29 in Charleston, South Carolina and Indiana, Pennsylvania we’ve thrilled audiences with live DJs, hip-hop dancers, and fascinating panelists from musicians to lawyers. Co-producer of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS Kembrew McLeod told us “I feel honored to be part of the Community Cinema program which has allowed the film to be seen far and wide by a diverse range of audiences. Plus, it’s free. Who doesn’t like free?”
For more than 30 years, as hip-hop evolved from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry, hip-hop performers and producers have been reusing portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. But when lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.” Through interviews with many of hip-hop music’s founding figures—like Public Enemy, De La Soul and Digital Underground—along with emerging artists such as audiovisual remixers Eclectic Method, COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS by Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod illuminates both sides of the debate, from traditional musicians who view sampling as pillaging to those who argue that the practice of borrowing is by no means new nor is it unique to hip-hop or even music: Think of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans.
With OVER 50 free screening events from coast to coast audiences were able to sample the flavor of hip-hip and electronic music first-hand from some of the subjects featured in the film. The Philadelphia event featured worldwide DJ sensation based in Philly, RJD2 (RJ Krohn – pictured to the right, on the left). The photo is a TwitPic uploaded live from the event. Our event in Oakland welcomed DJ legend Jeff Chang. Local hip-hop radio DJs hosted events in St. Louis and Seattle. In Seattle, KUBE 93 FM DJ Hyphen who co-hosts “Sunday Night Sound Session” introduced the film. “Sunday Night Sound Session” airs every Sunday night at 10:45 PM. “J. Moore and I offer listeners the newest, dopest hip-hop from all around the country, including local music from our own backyard,” boasts DJ Hyphen. Tune in around the Puget Sound Region or online worldwide. DJ Hypen introduced COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS and left the audience with some things to think about while watching the film.
Read on for more video clips, photos, and community connections.
Recent Talkback About Independent Lens & Community Cinema This Month
Always thought-provoking, sometimes controversial, Independent Lens and Community Cinema bring you documentaries, dramas, shorts and Web-exclusive projects made by independent thinkers. Check out some of the recent Talkback from viewers about films airing this month and from recent Community Cinema events.
HERB & DOROTHY
“What an inspiring film! If the Vogels are ‘greedy,’ it is yet a selfless compulsion–the best kind–that recognizes beauty and the persons that grow with the art. And thanks to the filmmaker who persevered to tell this intimate, quirky story.”
Posted by: Cynthia Pon on October 15, 2009
“Congratulations to all: Herb and Dorothy for your beautiful collections and sharing your love of each other and your wonderful collections. PBS you did your viewers a great service by bringing us this magnificent presentation… It touched my heart as I am sure it did others. Thank you very much.”
Posted by: Nancy on October 14, 2009
“What an informative film, captivating. Thank you to the Vogels for sharing their story with all of us and especially for supporting artists for so many years. And thank you for the gift to the National Gallery of Art.”
Posted by: Patricia Macklin on October 14, 2009
View more Talkback and submit your own for HERB & DOROTHY >>
COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS
Guests at this month’s Community Cinema preview events for COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS have strong opinions about the topics raised by the film. One of Seattle’s foremost hip-hop DJs, DJ Hyphen of KUBE 93 FM, talked to us about a few of the film’s topics in the lobby before the film. He observes, “There is a fine line between borrowing and stealing.”
Read and watch more TalkBack from viewers and Community Cinema goers…
Community Cinema Screens COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS with Filmmaker Kembrew McLeod
This month Community Cinema is screening the Independent Lens film COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, which examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money. Find out what happened at recent screenings in Kansas City, MO, and Iowa City from filmmaker Kembrew Mcleod.
Filmmaker Kembrew McLeod
It’s been a busy time for me. In the past three days I attended two screenings of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS in two Midwestern towns: Kansas City and Iowa City. Lots of miles covered, and a ton of great questions from viewers. It made me wish I were able to attend each and every one of the 50+ Community Cinema screenings of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS across the country during October. However, that would have been an insane (and impossible) journey, because several times the film was playing in two or more cities on the same night. I feel honored to be part of the Community Cinema program, which has allowed COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS to be seen far and wide by a diverse range of audiences. Plus, it’s free. Who doesn’t like free?
The really cool thing about the recent screenings I attended was that they took place in “real” theaters—Tivoli Cinemas, in Kansas City, and Iowa City’s Bijou Theater. I’m used to seeing my films in all sorts of nontraditional venues, but there’s nothing like seeing your documentary on a nice, big screen and in a room with a great sound system. Sound quality is important, especially for a film about music, after all. Whenever I show COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, I like to sit in the back of the audience because it’s fun to watch everyone’s heads nod to the rhythm of the film’s soundtrack. The cool thing about music is the sometimes-unconscious reaction it provokes in people; my bet is that most of the folks don’t even know they’re even moving in their seats. The music just takes them over.
The other thing I like about attending my own screenings is talking to an engaged audience. The Q&A sessions in Kansas City and Iowa City were no exception, though I’ll focus on the latter screening, because it’s freshest in my mind. Given the nature of the film, there were more than a few questions about copyright law. For instance, “Did copyright law impact the making of your film?” (Short answer? YES!)
Community Classroom Engaging Seattle Teachers Through Film
Community Classroom currently offers a diverse selection of FREE DVDs and online modules designed with teachers, students, classroms, and community learning in mind.
The Seattle International Film Festival presents myriad year-round events, workshops, and films
On Tuesday, Dustin Kaspar, Educational Programs Coordinator for the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) presented Community Classroom to a group of teachers from various Social Studies departments throughout the Seattle Public Schools system. Local ITVS National Community Coordinator, Patrick Baroch, provided each teacher with a free DVD and information about upcoming events. Free Community Classroom materials feature curricula paired with specially edited video modules taken from the best of Independent Lens and other cutting-edge documentaries, Web original projects, and online activities. All activities incorporate national standards, teaching strategies, worksheets and extension ideas. These FREE resources are a powerful tool for teaching and learning around issues crucial to educating young people in classroom and community settings. Kaspar said, “The training was a rousing success, and teachers were very excited about the availability of the free DVDs.” Teachers learned about the diverse calendar of films at SIFF Cinema, the film festival’s year-round cinematheque who also partners with Community Cinema. Kaspar shared a clip from Community Cinema selection MARCH POINT (which was shot by teens north of and in Seattle and Washington, D.C.) as an example of youth using film to tell their story. The teachers took their materials back to their schools to share with colleagues and students. Turn your classroom into a Community Classroom.
King Corn Maze
It’s fall and who doesn’t love a good corn maze? It’s a chance to test your navigation skills and compete for bragging rights among your friends.
Try our very own corn maze inspired by the Independent Lens and Community Cinema hit film KING CORN. The film follows two recent college graduates who plant a single acre of corn and set out to follow it on its journey from a seed to the dinner plate. Thousands of people watched free previews of KING CORN in March 2008 at Community Cinema events nationwide.
Master the corn maze to get an earful of corn fun and facts >>
Platters, LPs, Albums, 12″ singles, 78s, 33s. Vinyl’s back!
The free Community Cinema film currently screening around the country, COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, sheds light on how years before people started downloading and remixing music, hip-hop sampling sparked a debate about copyright, creativity and technological change that still rages on today. Here’s a short video about how to make a vinyl record from Modern Marvels and YouTube. Take a moment to add to this resource by leaving a comment for other readers. Share your favorite place to buy vinyl in your community. Are you a vinyl collector? Let us hear from you “on the record.” Share a comment about your favorite vinyl album.
Today, when the hip-hop adage “all you need is two turntables and a microphone” is more like “all you need is your laptop,” it’s a testament to the evolution and progression of art through the decades while retaining important pieces of its history.
Click to watch a 1937 film of Duke Ellington preparing to record and recording a 78rpm record.
Mashups Nudge The Limits of Copyright Law in a New Technological Renaissance
The documentary COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS previews for FREE throughout October as part of Community Cinema
Mashup, a popular musical genre where a video or a digital media file that contains material from more than one source is used to create one “new” musical, video or digital work. We’ll get back to why “new” is in quotes shortly. The film COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS - currently screening for free across the country and airing in January 2010 on PBS’ Emmy Award winning series Independent Lens – explores all aspects of artistic inspiration, emulation, and reproduction with a focus on hip-hop music sampling and video mashups. The film asks simply, “Is sampling stealing?” The answer is a little bit more complicated than the question.
The modern day mashup is an expansion of classic hip-hop sampling and in many cases also a statement by the artist on one or more of the songs being mashed. The sport of mashup challenges DJs and – these days – anyone with a computer to join two songs that may at first seem like oil and water into a smooth and groovy mix. Most mashup titles include the term “vs.” to describe the relationship between the original media. Sampling expert and music journalist Rob Sheffield explains in the April 2009 issue of Blender Magazine (PDF 3MB), “As you listen to the hip-hoppers, laptoppers, and DJs work their magic, it kicks you in the head with how radically the sampler redefined music in such a short period of time…” The relative ease with which anyone can conflate two digital tracks has lead to an explosion of mashup songs and videos on YouTube. Sit back and click your weekend away. The opinions expressed in the videos linked to this post do not necessarily reflect those of ITVS, its board or other employees.
Nirvana vs. Rick Astley – Nirvana gets Rickroll’d (a term for Rick Astley popping up outta nowhere)
Superfriends meets Friends – A video mashup of 70′s classic “The Super Friends” and 90′s classic “Friends”
More mashup mayhem. Read on!
DJs and “Dark Suits” Talk It Out and Dance It Out in St. Louis
Speakers and audience members in St. Louis feel the music after the film an discussion.
Last Thursday, we screened COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS in St. Louis at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. Community Cinema Producing Partner and KETC Project Manager Sydney Meyer shares some stories from this unique event.
The skies were dark and rainy with severe thunderstorm warnings… the St. Louis Cardinals had a play off game… the St. Louis Blues had a home opener game… and the University of Missouri had a great football game. It was all happening on Community Cinema COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS night! But that was not enough to detour 50 die hard hip-hop fans from coming out and enjoying the music and the film. Local DJ Alejandro and DJ Needles were joined by three “men in dark suits” or more commonly known as copyright lawyers. The five guest speakers informed and entertained the audience by handling the topics and issues raised with knowledge and humor. The lawyers clearly sympathized with the audience and DJs over the frustration felt concerning creative expression versus corporate ownership, which was a recurring theme from the film.
Money was mentioned more than once during the night.
Independent Lens Season Premiere: HERB & DOROTHY Tonight on PBS
“If Ripley’s Believe It or Not! were still around, Herb and Dorothy Vogel would surely be in it for amassing a world-class art collection on the most ordinary of working-class salaries.”
He was a postal clerk. She was a librarian. With modest means, this couple managed to build one of the most important modern art collections in history. Meet Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, whose shared passion and commitment defied stereotypes and redefined what it means to be an art collector.
HERB & DOROTHY premieres tonight, Oct. 13, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).
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